GIVING OF NAMES. 



33 



Raven quoth to raven, 

 Sitting in a high tree, 

 Wanting food : 

 This I know. 



The son of Sigmund 



One day old 



Stands in brynja, 



Now the day lias dawned ; 



Helgi's eyes flash 



Like those ot Hildings ; 



He is the friend of wolves, 1 



Let us be merry. 



The host thought him 

 A Dugling. 2 



They said good years 

 Had come among men ; 

 The king himself went 

 From the war-clash 

 To give garlic 3 

 To the young Gram. 1 



He gave the name of Helgi, 5 

 And Hriugstadir, 6 

 Solfjoll, 7 Sncefjoll, 8 

 And Sigarsvellir, 9 

 Hringstod, 10 Hatun," 

 And Himiuvangar 12 

 An ornamented blood-serpent 13 

 He gave to the brother of Sinfjotli. 

 (Helga Kvida Hundingsbana, 1). 



Special or characteristic names were often given to grown- 

 up persons as name-fastenings for one reason or another, in 

 addition to their proper name, and almost every important man 

 seems to have had one. 



" The king Ingjald of Naumdsela fylki said : ' What sounded 

 so shrill, An, when thou didst enter the door the first time 

 here ? ' ' My bow,' answered An, ' because the door of your 

 hall was so small, king, that it was all bent together when 

 I had it on my shoulders before I came in; it sounded 

 loud as it straightened again.' ' Thou shalt,' added the king, 

 ' be named An Bogsveigir (bow-bender).' ' What dost thou 

 give me as name-fastening ? ' ' Here is a gold ring as name- 

 fastening and Yule gift, because I heard what thou didst say 

 a little while ago, and thou, tall as thou art, must also be a 

 very strong man.' ' I suppose I am very strong, but I do not 

 know it,' said An " (An Bogsveigi's Saga, c. 3). 



" King Olaf said : ' Thou art a Vandrtedaskald (troublesome 

 scald), but thou shalt be my man.' Hallfred answered : ' What 

 wilt thou, king, give me as name-fastening, if I shall be called 



1 The friend of wolves a warrior who 

 by his fights gave food to the wolves. 



2 Dbgling (1) a descendant of Dag, 

 (2) a chief of any family. 



3 The giving of garlic at the ceremony 

 of name- fastening, seems to have had 

 some symbolic meaning. From St. Olaf's 

 Saga we see that it was used for curing 

 wounds : in Gudrunar Kvida the leek is 

 used as opposed to grass, perhaps im- 

 plying that the child to whom it was 

 given would stand as high among meii 



VOL. II. 



as it did amongst grass. 



4 King. 



5 These estates were given to him with 

 the name-fastening, as was customary. 



G Ring-steads. 



7 Sun mountains. 



8 Snow mountains. 



9 Fields of Sigar. 



10 Ring-harbour. 



11 High town. 



12 Heaven-fields. 



13 Sword. 



D 



